Deputy Health Minister Jose Calderon described the situation in the city of Ica, where 650,000 people live, as "dramatic". The National Institute for Civil Defence said 336 people had been killed in the province and 827 others injured. One person was killed in Lima.
TV reports said 17 people were killed and dozens injured when the Senor de Luren church in Ica collapsed during evening mass. Callers to Radio Programas del Peru (RPP) said many homes in poor neighbourhoods in Ica and nearby Chincha had collapsed and that several cities had no electricity. The town of Pisco, 60km east of the epicentre, was also badly affected.
Hospitals are reported to be overwhelmed by the number of casualties. A cameraman for the Associated Press said the floors of the hospital in Chincha were covered with dead bodies.
The mayor of Ica, Mariano Nacimiento, said he had asked the government for medicine, blankets, tents and all help that could be given. The weather in the region is very cold at the moment.
Rescuers have struggled to reach Ica, however, as parts of the Pan-American Highway have been blocked by huge cracks in the tarmac and fallen power lines.
Unconfirmed reports said a bridge north of the city had collapsed.
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